Chapter 925: The Place of Expedition is Crowded
Chapter 925: The place of departure is crowded with people
”Long live Julius!!!”
”Long live the Marshal!!”
”Long live Julius!!!”
”…”
Triumphal City.
This is the place where thousands of Willant people place their spirits and beliefs. It is also the heart of the giant that occupies two-thirds of the world.
At this moment, this city covering hundreds of square kilometers is echoing with millions of shouts.
People stand on the street, holding torches in their hands, venting all their emotions in the unison shouting.
That is the name of their leader.
It is also their belief!
They have conquered countless worlds in his name and conquered tens of millions of square kilometers of land.
And now, they just hope that he wakes up…
Glory House.
This is the tallest building in the entire Triumphal City. It is also the residence of the Marshal and the station of the Guards.
Thousands of steps lift the archway more than ten meters high from the ground. A hundred years of wind and rain have left traces of time on the magnificent marble relief.
A century ago, in order to commemorate the completion of the Triumphal City and the hard-won freedom, the Willant people leveled a marble mountain and built this magnificent wonder.
This is not only their gift to Marshal Julius, but also a monument built to commemorate the opening of a great era.
At this moment, the burning sparks at its feet have formed a stream of rivers that flow continuously, like the pulse of a giant.
At the convergence of the sparks and the gazes, a tall man with a sharp gaze is straightening his back, and his nose is not high.
Yes.
He is not a Willant, just like the adult who disappeared a hundred years ago.
Although they are not Willant, the good qualities they possess are also what the Willant people yearn for.
For example, bravery.
For example, loyalty. For
example, fearlessness of power, etc.
It is precisely because of these differences that he, without the heavy historical burden, can say what the Willant people think in their hearts but can never say.
”…Since you don’t want to say anything and don’t know what to say, then call his name!”
”All the survivors who have suffered! All the survivors who do not succumb to authority! Let the gods in your hearts hear your pious cries! Let him open his eyes and see what is happening under his feet!”
”Let us also see who is afraid! Who is terrified! Who is trembling, and who does not want him to wake up the most!”
The battlefield atmosphere group clenched their fists and shouted at the bustling crowd.
A pair of enthusiastic eyes looked at him, and the loud shouts were a response to him.
The entire Triumph City guards were dispatched, including the city defense forces stationed in the city.
However, even if all of them were added together, they could not surround the surging crowd.
Not only that.
Some guards and soldiers even joined the crowd.
They did not do anything wrong, they just called Julius’s name.
In the legion, Julius means right.
No Willant will question the loyalty they have practiced for their entire lives.
In other words, even the most shameless scum, the villain who regarded the marshal and loyalty as a tool for personal gain, could not order the arrest of a Willant man just because of his loyalty to Marshal Julius.
Loyalty!
That is not only what the Willant people regard as honorable. It
is also the source of their legitimacy!
When the praise is no longer praise, and the cheers are no longer cheers, this sword of authority that has never been defeated finally stabbed back like a boomerang.
Not only the faction represented by the Southern Legion was speechless, but the other three legions and even the civil service group were all helpless at this moment.
After all, none of them had the confidence to say that they were absolutely innocent and did not coerce the Willant people in the name of the marshal and distort the latter’s mission.
It is no exaggeration to say that the guy called “Pangolin” almost offended all the interest groups he could offend… Even the civil service group that sympathized with him and helped him.
Except for the people.
In other words, those ordinary people living in the legion who have been ignored for a long time.
That was the only group he had not offended.
Not only that, he stood with them unwaveringly.
And they never abandoned him.
The Weilants could be suppressed, but they would never abandon their heroes.
No matter if he was a Weilant or not.
And this was the biggest difference between the Weilants and the rat people, snake people, horse people, etc.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Brockett had a cigarette butt in his mouth, and there were more at his feet.
”… I have been a guard for 20 years, and this is the first time I have seen so many people shouting the name of that adult at the same time.”
Standing next to him was his colleague, a centurion who had retired from the front line.
The old face with ravines and scars could no longer be distinguished, and the years engraved on it were like the annual rings of a tree.
But compared to Brockett, he was much more open-minded, just squinting his eyes and smiling.
”Marshal, I don’t believe you haven’t heard this sentence, anyway, I say it every day.”
Brocket glanced at him, then looked at the crowd not far away, and muttered in a low voice.
”I mean at the same time.”
And…
can that kind of catchphrase be compared with the scene in front of him?
Not to mention there are so many people here.
Looking at the excited crowd, he gradually felt a heat on his back, and suddenly he had the idea of joining this group of crazy people after the shift was handed over.
Maybe the marshal can really be called out by them?
This is not impossible.
Most people can’t live that long, but there are a series of technologies in this world such as “cryogenic hibernation” and “DNA telomere repair”.
The birth, aging, illness and death that ordinary people can hardly get rid of, but that adult has many ways to deal with it.
The more Brockette thought about it, the more excited he became.
However, at this moment, a group of soldiers with live ammunition came over.
His colleague poked him on the shoulder.
Brockett suddenly woke up, and then looked at the group of soldiers with live ammunition, and the centurion standing in front of them.
The centurion stared at him expressionlessly and scolded in a cold voice.
”Get out of the way!”
Brockett didn’t know where he got the courage to support his spine. He didn’t retreat, but narrowed his eyes.
”Who are you?”
He adjusted the brim of his officer’s hat, stared at him, and raised his nose slightly.
”Gladstone, the centurion of the 110,000-man team of the city defense army, who are you?”
”Brokett, the centurion of the Golden Griffin Street Law Enforcement Squadron of the Triumph City Guard,” Brockett raised his chin like him, looking at the centurion Gladstone with contempt in his eyes, “What if I say no?”
Hearing the rejection, Gladstone was stunned for two seconds, and then stared at him fiercely.
”This is the order of Commander Tyr! Do you want to rebel?”
Hearing the arrogant voice, Brockett was unmoved and even sneered.
”Commander Tyr? Ha, I don’t remember that I swore allegiance to him. If you want to lick his asshole, you don’t have to take me with you. But if you want to disobey the will of His Majesty the Marshal, then just step over my dead body.”
”You guy…” A soldier stepped forward angrily, his hand on his waist.
He was about to go up and teach this ignorant guard a lesson, but was stopped by the officer next to him. Captain
Gladstone took a step forward, squinting his eyes and staring at Brockett who refused to give in.
That sight was like the front paw of a wolf.
After cruising for a while, he said in a very light voice.
”Think about your family, especially your child… I guess he should be a military school student. Are you sure you want to be an enemy of the Southern Legion? You’re going to sacrifice his future for something like this.”
”Haha, you finally used this trick?” Brocket looked at him mockingly and flicked the cigarette butt in front of his boots. “My family doesn’t need you dogs to worry about. They are brave warriors. They will only be proud of my choice today.”
Brocket didn’t know that someone in Boulder City, which was tens of thousands of kilometers away from Triumph City, had said the same thing.
The choices of heroes always coincide, even if they are not in the same position.
Looking at this stubborn guard, Gladstone was furious and wanted to tear this guy to pieces.
However, he couldn’t do that.
Triumph City is not the world of the Southern Legion. It has to take into account the positions of the other three legions and the civil service group.
If he doesn’t want to become cannon fodder in factional struggles.
Just when he was in a dilemma, a voice suddenly came from the communication channel.
It was the voice of the Chief of Staff of the Southern Legion.
”… Retreat.”
Gladstone was stunned.
”But——” ”
The chief of the Royal Guards has come out.”
Royal Guards!
Hearing this word, a trace of fear finally flashed across Gladstone’s face, and he subconsciously looked at the stairs at the end of the crowd.
A looming figure was standing at the end of the stairs, overlooking the crowded districts.
Although the Royal Guards rarely appeared in the political situation of Triumph City, everyone knew that they were the eyes of His Majesty the Marshal and were responsible for conveying the Marshal’s will.
If those guards were priests serving the gods, then the leader of the Royal Guards was like the chief priest.
Few people knew that the chief of the Royal Guards was actually the head of the legion in terms of rank.
However, because this legion leader was as mysterious as the marshal, he would hardly appear in the public eye.
Therefore, in most contexts, people assumed that there were only four legion leaders. It
only took Gladstone a moment to figure out the interests involved. He glared at the unyielding guard in front of him with hatred, waved his hand and retreated with his confidants.
Looking at Gladstone who fled in disgrace, Brocket could not help but raise his eyebrows in triumph.
What a leader
of ten thousand men.
Nothing more than that!
However, since the choice has been made, there is no way back. Looking back at the thousands of compatriots standing behind him, Brocket’s mouth opened with a smile.
He spent the first half of his life in a daze, and it was not until this moment that he finally realized his mission. What
he defended and was loyal to should never be the authority of a certain person or a certain group of people.
It should be order.
And the dignity of all the people of Willant.
At this time, the voices of his colleagues came to his ears.
”Marshal… It’s the commander of the Guards!”
”Leiser…” The pupils of the old guard shrank into a dot, his face was full of disbelief, and he muttered, “He is still alive…”
Hearing the incredible exclamations, Brocket raised his head suddenly, his eyes passed through the heavy crowd, and saw the old man standing on thousands of steps and under the marble arch.
He was wearing a scarlet robe, and his face was covered with age spots, but the golden-painted power armor was lifelike.
The noise of the city stopped, and everyone looked at him.
Some of the thousands of eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment like Brockett, and some were as nervous and terrified as Gladstone.
Excitement, fear, joy, anger, and even countless expressions that were difficult to describe in words filled the faces of all living beings with different expressions.
The only thing that remained unchanged was the burning torch.
Everyone was waiting for his answer.
Lei Ze slowly lowered his head, and his turbid and sharp pupils were like the eyes of a vulture.
His eyes fell on the top of everyone’s head, and finally stopped on the man standing at the bottom of the stone steps.
The man called Pangolin also looked at him without dodging, waiting like everyone else.
The whole world seemed to have pressed the pause button, and it seemed as if a century had passed.
Just when the battlefield atmosphere group was beating drums in their hearts and wondering if the server was stuck, the old man finally broke the silence and slowly spoke.
”When I was a child, Marshal Julius told me… that one day in the future, a young man who looked different from all of us would come here from the lands that the Legion had not yet conquered, stand on the steps of the House of Glory, and tell the people of Valente another meaning of loyalty…”
”He didn’t tell us the meaning.”
The voice was not loud, even weak, like a kite that could be torn off at any time, but it was so clear and firm in the silent night.
The battlefield atmosphere team held their breath, staring at the old man in power armor on the thousand steps, listening quietly to his every word, afraid of missing a word.
The intuition told him that he had already stepped halfway on the finish line of the mission.
This hidden task, which was just a joke and so long that he almost forgot what his real ID was called, is now finally going to be completed!
However, halfway through, the old man suddenly stopped talking, and his pupils immersed in memories regained clarity.
”…It seems that you are the person the marshal is waiting for.”
After saying this, he turned around and walked towards the archway more than ten meters high behind him.
”Come with me.”
”I’ll take you to see him.”
…
It has been a century since Marshal Julius disappeared from the public eye.
Or to be more precise, it has been a century and 14 years.
No one told the Willant people where their respected marshal had gone, or whether he was still alive.
The loyal guards, like the statues in front of Valhalla, had been guarding the Glory House for a hundred years.
Now someone finally found the key to open the door and was ready to reveal the final answer to those who looked up to it.
”I hope Lord Julius is still alive…” An old man held up a torch in his hand, his dry lips opening and closing, praying silently, “I hope he can guide us who are lost in the way forward.”
Others remained silent, just quietly watching the guy walking up the steps.
114 years…
If that lord is really still alive, he might be more than 200 years old.
Rather than hoping that he is still alive, it is better to hope that he has hidden his wisdom in a drawer of his desk.
Penny, standing in the crowd, couldn’t help but clench her fists and pray silently in her heart.
But unlike the others around her, she was not praying for the Marshal’s well-being, or for a permanent solution left by that lord under his desk.
After all, whether such a thing exists or not, it was decided a long time ago.
Whether she prays or not, nothing will change.
However, although she does not believe in the power of prayer itself, she believes in him who can bring so many people together.
Miracles have happened countless times.
Let it happen again!
Just as the Battlefield Atmosphere Group followed the footsteps of the Guards Corps Commander Lei Ze and walked towards the arch at the top of the stairs, a secret meeting was being held in a secret room in the New World far across the West Sea. Those
sitting here are all senior officials of the Western Corps.
Unlike other Willant people.
They are natural adventurers and sailors who dare to fight against the raging waves.
Rather than waiting for others to decide the fate of the Willant people, they prefer to make their own choices.
At the conference table.
A man with a beard curled up put his right fist on the table, staring at the picture on the holographic screen and said angrily.
”These idiots… Don’t they know that this is the scene that His Majesty the Marshal least wants to see?”
His name is Enoch, a three-star captain belonging to the Western Corps.
As an academic officer who almost joined the Royal Guards, he was confident that he knew Lord Julius better than anyone else.
Although the people of Willant often mentioned the name of that lord, he knew very well that the Marshal did not want his children to do so.
In the words of that lord, they looked like children who never grew up.
Of course.
Although he said so, he was actually afraid of something else.
What if these guys really woke up His Majesty the Marshal?
Even if the probability was small, it was not impossible after all.
He had heard a rumor that when the survivors of the entire Triumphant City were shouting Julius’ name, Marshal Julius would wear his armor and walk out of the Glory Courtyard and lead the Willant people to eliminate all the guys who enslaved them.
If the legendary story really happened, he couldn’t imagine what kind of picture it would be.
At least, the “River Valley People”, “Jinchuan People” and “Hai Ya People” have never enslaved the Weilant people. Even if they did, it was a thing of the past during the War Construction Committee period…
Enoch looked nervously at the legion commander sitting at the head of the conference table, hoping that he could say something or do something.
However, the legion commander sitting there did not say anything, but it was Captain Cliff sitting opposite him who interrupted.
”But now it has really happened.”
Unlike Captain Enoch, he is only a two-star captain.
But one thing in common is that they are all Weilant people from Triumph City and graduated from the military academy there.
Enoch cast a surprised look at him, and then his eyes narrowed into a slit.
”What do you mean…”
Cliff responded to his gaze without hesitation, and said in an unflinching tone.
”I mean, we are all responsible for the development of things today. Touch your heart, is there really anything there except power?”
Enoch stood up angrily.
”Cliff, you want to betray us? Betray everyone sitting here?”
Cliff also stood up, took off the medal on his chest, and slapped it on the conference table.
”There is only one person who deserves my loyalty from beginning to end, and all the Willant people.”
There is actually no difference between the two.
Not only Cliff stood up, but also the other three captains.
They left behind every medal they got from the New World, only those that belonged to Triumph City, and then strode out of the conference room.
Enoch gritted his teeth and stared at the backs of those guys leaving, clenching his fists fiercely, and sat down angrily until the door closed.
”These cowards…”
Now, only the Western Legion faction is left in this room, and the officers of Triumph City have completely broken with them.
Needless to say, they will probably take a boat back to Triumph City to greet the so-called marshal.
As for whether to tamper with their ship, that was something that only the legion commander could decide, not something that a three-star ten-thousand-man commander like him could make the final decision on.
Another ten-thousand-man commander sitting not far from him snorted coldly and said in a slow voice.
”Maybe he was a self-righteous speculator… It’s already the 214th year of the Wasteland Era. No one really thinks that His Majesty the Marshal is still alive.”
Another person across the conference table whispered.
”What will happen if he’s gone?”
”I don’t know,” the chief of staff of the General Staff shook his head and said the first sentence since the start of this meeting in an intriguing tone, “Before the box is opened, no one knows what color the mouse that comes out of it is.”
But one thing is foreseeable, the great migration of the Weilant people is about to begin.
The Weilant people who are loyal to the marshal will return to Triumph City, and the Weilant people who are loyal to power will go to the south.
Of course, this is not their only choice.
Those who are keen on tradition can also go to the Eastern Legion or the Northern Legion.
And if they are tired of endless choices and traditional rules, they can also go to the New World.
This may not be a bad thing for the Western Legion.
They have tribunes, citizen assemblies, and many other things that the old world did not have.
No matter how the cards are reshuffled this time, they will not lose money, at most they will earn less.
There were constant whispers in the secret room.
Everyone exchanged opinions with each other, imagining the choices of the Western Legion in this change and the many possibilities in the future.
Only the legion commander sitting at the head of the conference table had unknown secrets in his eyes.
No one knew what he was thinking.
Not even his confidants.
But everyone knew that this distinguished big man had made his decision.
Not only him, but other legion commanders were the same.
The Willant people have stood at the crossroads of fate.
It’s time to make a choice…
(End of this chapter)
